Denbighshire County Council - Agenda item - CONTRACT AWARD AND POLICY CHANGES FOR A NEW CONTRACT TO MANAGE OUR HOUSEHOLD WASTE RECYCLING CENTRES

To consider a report (which includes a confidential appendix) by Councillor Brian Jones, Lead Member for Waste, Transport and the Environment (copy enclosed) seeking Cabinet approval to authorise the contract award to manage Household Waste Recycling Centres (HRCs) following the joint procurement process with Conwy County Borough Council together with adoption of the Joint HRC Policy with Conwy and the 2022/23 charging schedule.

RESOLVED that –

(a) Cabinet authorise the awarding of the contract to the Preferred Bidder identified in the joint procurement Tender Evaluation Report (Appendix 1 to the report), having demonstrated that they have submitted the most economically advantageous tender and noting that the contract will be awarded by Conwy County Borough Council as lead authority;

(b) members confirm that they have read, understood and taken account of the updated Wellbeing Impact Assessment (Appendix 4 to the report) as part of its consideration and note that this will be updated upon contract award;

(c) the Joint Household Recycling Centre Policy with Conwy County Borough Council (Appendix 2 to the report) be adopted from the contract commencement date;

(d) the DIY Construction Waste Charges (Appendix 3 to the report) be formally adopted from the contract commencement date;

(e) the Joint Household Recycling Centre booking system under in-house development at Conwy County Borough Council be adopted permanently;

(f) a report is taken back to Partnerships Scrutiny Committee to review the first year of the new contract’s operation, and

(g) Cabinet note that an Inter Authority Agreement between Conwy County Borough Council and Denbighshire County Council needs to be agreed and request that the service is supported by Legal Services to prepare this.

[The Head of Legal, HR and Democratic Services explained that the tender evaluation element of the report must remain confidential at this stage due to commercial sensitivity and he advised Cabinet to move into closed session if they wished to discuss that element of the report.]

Councillor Brian Jones presented the report seeking Cabinet approval to authorise the contract award to manage Household Waste Recycling Centres (HRCs) following the joint procurement process with Conwy County Borough Council (CCBC) together with adoption of the Joint HRC Policy with Conwy and the 2022/23 charging schedule in order to realise the maximum savings generated from the procurement. The benefits of the collaborative approach for both Denbighshire and Conwy residents were highlighted, including cross border use of recycling centres, providing an alternative option to hiring a skip to dispose of DIY and Construction waste for a reasonable charge, and continuation of the booking system. The cost savings to Denbighshire as a result of the changes was also highlighted.

The Head of Highways and Environmental Services clarified that the main aspects of the report related to the contract award across the two local authority areas to manage the household recycling centre and the adoption of a new set of policies governing the use of those recycling centres. The tender process had been based on the assumption that the policies would be adopted and income would be generated through those policies. Therefore both elements required approval. Following previous concerns raised regarding the three visits per month limit to the centres each month the limit had been changed to allow six visits per household every two months in order to provide greater flexibility for residents.

Cabinet considered the comprehensive report and had been pleased to note the change to allow greater flexibility in the number of visits to sites following concerns raised in that regard. In response to questions the Head of Service and Lead Member advised that the proposed booking system had been developed by CCBC and it was proposed to use the system across both local authorities which would result in benefits for residents, including being able to book to visit a site in either county. Assurances were also provided that that the proposed provider would be in a position to successfully operate the contract on the start date 1 April 2022.

There was much debate around the importance of a robust communication plan for implementation of the new waste model and associated changes to ensure all residents were fully aware and engaged in that regard in order to provide clarity, allay any concerns and contribute to the success of the project going forward. Councillor Emrys Wynne had some reservations regarding proposals to introduce a charge for DIY and construction waste, and sought clarity over the charging arrangements for specific items and how that element could be appropriately communicated to residents. Whilst noting the Council had no obligation to accept non-household waste and that the proposal offered an expansion of the service, the introduction of charges for some elements may not be viewed favourably by residents, particularly when residents were being charged for small amounts of non-household waste which they had not previously been charged for.

The Head of Service responded to the issues raised and provided further assurances that a clear message would be communicated to residents. He explained the process when booking a visit which included categorising items of waste to be disposed of at which point it was confirmed whether a fee was chargeable, and further clarity was provided by operatives on site to enable residents to make an informed choice. Assurances were also provided that staff would be well trained and able to deal with any issues at the sites and the process had been working successfully in Conwy with no major issues or concerns which provided confidence in that system and lessons learned from that process. An explanation of household and non-household waste had been clearly defined in the new HRC Policy together with a description of materials and items for which charges would apply. It was emphasised that residents were not being asked to pay for a service which was previously provided free of charge. The new policy permitted Denbighshire residents to bring any quantity of non-household waste for a reasonable charge which they were not able to do at present – the service would be expanded providing a greater range of options for residents.

Notwithstanding the assurances provided members reiterated the need to ensure clarity for residents and to raise awareness of the changes being made to service provision and ensure residents were fully engaged with the new process. The Lead Member and Head of Service acknowledged the issues raised and were confident that the communication plan would ensure a clear message was communicated to residents regarding the implementation of the new waste model and any associated changes in that regard to ensure that they were clearly understood by residents.